Cavalieri on comeback trail
?q=100)
The undefeated Grade 1 winner Cavalieri resumed workouts earlier this month with the hope the 4-year-old filly can start for the first time since early March in the Grade 2 Zenyatta Stakes at Santa Anita on Sept. 28.
Trained by Bob Baffert for Speedway Stables, Cavalieri has had two half-mile workouts this month – in 48.80 seconds on Aug. 11 and 47.60 on Monday. On Thursday, Baffert described Cavalieri’s condition as “very good.”
“She’s pointing to the Zenyatta,” he said.
The $200,000 Zenyatta is run for fillies and mares at 1 1/16 miles. The winner receives a fees-paid berth to the Breeders’ Cup Distaff at Del Mar on Nov. 1. Baffert has a contender for that race in Scenic Beauty, the winner of the Grade 1 Clement Hirsch Stakes at Del Mar on Aug. 2.
Cavalieri has not raced since a win in the Grade 1 Beholder Mile for fillies and mares at Santa Anita on March 8. She had four workouts from late March to mid-April before she was sidelined.
After the Beholder, Baffert spoke highly of Cavalieri.
“We always knew she would be a superstar,” he said at the time.
:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.